<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Schlatt's secret by i_am_trash_15</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29976423">Schlatt's secret</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_trash_15/pseuds/i_am_trash_15'>i_am_trash_15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>random schlangst aus [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lunch Club, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Found Family, Trans Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Trans Male Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:47:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29976423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_trash_15/pseuds/i_am_trash_15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“What do I think of Schlatt? I think that guy’s got a dark secret. I think he’s got a dark secret. Something gnawing at him in there.”</p><p>-Noah Hugbox</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>None</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>random schlangst aus [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134968</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>159</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Schlatt's secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>CW<br/>transphobic language</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What do I think of Schlatt? I think that guy’s got a dark secret. I think he’s got a <em> dark </em> secret. Something gnawing at him in there.”</p><p> </p><p>They’ve noticed something was wrong, but Noah was the only one to figure it out. </p><p> </p><p>Schlatt’s been acting weird lately, disappearing for a little bit at a time, not wanting to record anything on specific days, and he’s been really out of breath lately. They’re all streaming Tekkit, and Schlatt starts choking on his soda (as schlatt will do). He has to stop, and Ted gets worried lowkey, and asks Noah to check on him, since Noah’s room is closest to Schlatt’s.</p><p> </p><p>Noah goes into Schlatt’s room, and sees him on his knees, clutching at his chest, heaving. Couldn’t breathe right. Noah quickly shuts the door and walks in to place a hand on Schlatt’s back.</p><p> </p><p>“Schlatt, hey, it’s okay. Just breathe, buddy.” </p><p> </p><p>“I can’t- I can’t- help me-” he started reaching to his side for something, hands shaking. His fingers fumbled with something for a few seconds before another hiccup of a breath came through. “Help me, I can’t-” Noah felt for where Schlatt was grasping at, and found a little clasp. He undid it, and Schlatt spread his arms to loosen whatever it was that Noah undid, heaving for air. He sat near Schlatt, letting him breathe for a second.</p><p> </p><p>“Leave,” his friend’s broken voice said, barely a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Leave. Get out. Thanks for helping me and everything, but it’s time to leave.”</p><p> </p><p>“What? No! Schlatt, what was that? You can’t just pull that and expect me to just leave! Were those bandages? Are you hurt?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m fine! Just get out!” His voice wavered.</p><p> </p><p>“No! Not until I find out what was wrong! I’m your friend, let me be concerned about you!” Noah demanded.</p><p> </p><p>“God, fine! Just… please leave the room for a second. Lemme change.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. Knock on the wall when you’re ready.” Noah left the room and leaned up against the wall. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Noah came in, and Schlatt was sitting down on his bed, facing away from the door. He had changed into a baggy sweatshirt.</p><p> </p><p>“You can sit down,” Schlatt said.</p><p> </p><p>“So what’s up?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t belong here. I’m sorry. I’m gonna move out.” His face was hidden, but Noah could tell he was trying not to cry. The slightest waver in his voice gave him away.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you belong here! You’re one of us! Why do you think you aren’t?”</p><p> </p><p>“Because, you guys are just the best group of guys I’ve ever been friends with, and I didn’t mean for it to go this far, but then I moved in, and I didn’t wanna make you guys uncomfortable, but I guess it’s gonna have to come out, now!” His voice was failing him as he tried harder not to cry. Noah placed a hand on Schlatt’s shoulder, and frowned when the man flinched away.</p><p> </p><p>“Why would we be uncomfortable?”</p><p> </p><p>“Because you guys have such a good friendship, as ‘the boys’, and I’m not even a boy! I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Noah was shocked.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you… what?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m trans, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys, I meant to, I really did, but I didn’t want you to think of me any different…”</p><p> </p><p>“So that’s… holy fuck.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should have told someone, I shouldn’t have moved in, I’m sorry. You’re uncomfortable now, I get it. I’ll leave.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no no! That’s not what… I really don’t mind! I think it’s awesome that you chose that for yourself. It’s just… were you using bandages? That’s so bad, you could have suffocated yourself!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, well… like that would have been so bad.” He could hear the eyeroll.</p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t funny, Schlatt. You could have died. Don’t you have a binder?”</p><p> </p><p>“If I had a fucking binder so you think I would be using bandages?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you have one?”</p><p> </p><p>“Same reason I moved out. My parents. They just fucking… refuse to accept it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ohhh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Hey, thanks for… not being weirded out, at least not visibly, but… please don’t tell the others.”</p><p> </p><p>“Schlatt, I have to.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, you don’t. Please,” he pleaded. He turned to meet his eyes, now, and Noah could see that Schlatt was indeed just barely holding back tears.</p><p> </p><p>“Schlatt…”</p><p> </p><p>“Noah, please. Don’t tell them. I can’t… I’m not ready. They’ll just react badly, and I don’t think I can handle that right now.” The tears fell, and Schlatt quickly turned to wipe them away. Noah sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. But, I’m serious, if this happens again, I have to tell them. You could die, Schlatt! This is serious. I walked in and you were suffocating! You gave me a heart attack.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Schlatt whispered. Noah wrapped an arm around him in a hug.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, man. Just… be careful.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will. Hey… you don’t… see me any different, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course not, Schlatt. Whatever makes you happiest, whatever feels right to you, we will all support you. Even though it’s just me right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>About a week later, they were all in the main room, playing Minecraft together, but whenever one person died, everyone did.</p><p> </p><p>Schlatt joined a little bit late, but he was there, so it was alright. Charlie kept dying before he could get to a bed, though.</p><p> </p><p>“Ohhh, my god, just let me sleep in a bed!” He shouted at him. Charlie just laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” Schlatt found their house again, and entered, making a beeline to the bed, but Charlie ran his character into a cactus right before he clicked the bed, killing them all. Schlatt slammed his head down on his desk.</p><p> </p><p>“CHARLIE. I SWEAR TO <em> FUCK </em>,” he shouted. Ted stepped in between them before Schlatt could run over and hit Charlie.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, dude, no need to cry about it like a little girl, man! Calm down.” Ted chuckled. Schlatt froze at Ted’s words. Noah stood up.</p><p> </p><p>“Ted. Not cool,” the bearded man stated.</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you getting mad at me, I’m just stepping in between them!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but calling him a girl?”</p><p> </p><p>“What? It’s just a playful jab, he knows!”</p><p> </p><p>“Noah,” Schlatt hissed, shaking his head with wide eyes. “Can I talk to you?” The two went out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry…”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for trying to stick up for me, but it’s just making them suspicious.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry. I mean, I still don’t really get what the problem is, I mean, they’d support you no matter what, but-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not about that! I don’t want you guys to treat me differently! You already have, stepping in if anyone makes even the slightest of jokes like Ted’s just then!” Noah looked down. He hadn’t meant to, but he could see how it could seem that way.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m so sorry, I didn’t even realize…”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, I just… I’m not ready.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“I’m gonna get you!” Ted roared at Charlie and Cooper, who giggled and ran away. They were in the park, recording a video, which had somehow just dissolved into them playing tag.</p><p> </p><p>“Noah! Help ussss!” Cooper shouted. He jumped up and ran after Ted, who laughed loudly and just turned around to chase him instead. “Come on, Schlatt, it’s fun!”</p><p> </p><p>“No, man, I can’t! I only walk, I don’t know how to run!”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you better learn fast, I’m gonna tag you!”</p><p> </p><p>“Nooooo, my brand!” Cooper led Ted, who was still chasing him, over to Schlatt, who schlatt-walked away, but was quickly caught. “Whyyyyy, I wasn’t even playing!”</p><p> </p><p>“You are now!” they jeered and jogged away. Schlatt got a dark look in his eyes, then bolted rather suddenly after them. Schlatt was fast, they realized very quickly as they ran away. Schlatt caught up to them very quickly, slapping Cooper on the back. Cooper looped back around to chase Schlatt. He bolted after the other man, getting close, but Schlatt stopped and turned very suddenly, throwing Cooper off-balance and tumbling into the grass.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeaaaah, Schlatt! Break his ankles!” Ted cheered, and they all laughed. Schlatt wheezed out a laugh, clutching at his chest and heaving. </p><p> </p><p>“You okay, Schlatt?” Cooper asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m good. Don’t run often, just gimme a sec,” Schlatt gasped, leaning over and placing his hands on his knees. He laughed again. “Your ankles okay, Coop?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, fuck you,” he laughed again.</p><p> </p><p>“Ohh, Jesus Christ. You know, I’ll be right back.”</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I just gotta go catch my breath.” Schlatt walked away, ducking into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he was still in there, but they all just assumed it was part of the bit that he’d been doing. Everyone knew how much he committed to the bit, but ten minutes later, it was getting ridiculous. Noah asked what had happened.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, he joined tag, and then got kinda out of breath and went to the bathroom,” Ted explained.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna go check on him,” Cooper said.</p><p> </p><p>“NO!” Noah said, very panicked and suddenly. Everyone looked at him funny, and he composed himself quickly, playing it off. “Uhh, I’ll go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay? Go for it, man.” Noah headed into the direction of the bathroom, going inside. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he could hear Schlatt wheezing in the stall closest to the wall. He knocked on that stall door, announcing himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?” Noah asked him. There was no answer, just a wheezing cough. “Can you let me in?” The lock on the door unlocked, and Noah let himself in to kneel down beside his friend. Schlatt had his arms wrapped around himself, gasping and heaving for air. “Are you wearing the bandages again?” Schlatt nodded shakily. Noah sighed and helped Schlatt unclasp and loosen them. Schlatt inhaled deeply, taking in needed gulps of air.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry…” he muttered. Noah frowned at his friend sadly. It hurt to watch him struggle with this.</p><p> </p><p>“You remember what I said, right? About telling them?” Schlatt looked up at him guiltily, shoulders sagging.</p><p> </p><p>“Please don’t.”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you been using them the whole time?” Schlatt nodded. “Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have anything else to use.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm. Have you thought about chest surgery?” Noah asked. Schlatt nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I just can’t afford it yet. I’m paying off college first… Harvard and all,” Schlatt had gotten his breath back, now that it wasn’t being restricted.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm. That’s understandable. You ready to go back out?”</p><p> </p><p>“You go ahead. I gotta fix this real quick.” Schlatt gestured to the bandages, and Noah gave him a stern look. “I know you don’t approve, but can we at least wait until we’re at home to tell them?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“So let me fix this so I don’t look like a… like a… like…” Schlatt looked away, sounding dejected. </p><p> </p><p>“I know. Go ahead.” Noah left the bathroom and stood outside the door so that no one else would go in. Schlatt came out a few minutes later, messing with the collar of his shirt. “Ready?”</p><p> </p><p>“As I’ll ever be…” They joined the others, who gave them a weird look before going back to what they were doing. They soon left the park, wrapping up the recording. They got back home, and Schlatt looked like he wanted to disappear. Noah beckoned him over.</p><p> </p><p>“You ready?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why do I have to tell them? It’s none of their business…”</p><p> </p><p>“It is when you start basically dying in a public restroom.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bastard.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey. You know I’m right. You need to tell them. This can’t keep happening.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know. Let’s tell ‘em, I guess.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>They gathered everyone in the living room, having them all sit down.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s this about? You said it was important,” Travis said. Noah nodded, then passed the floor to Schlatt once everyone was listening.</p><p> </p><p>“Why the fuck would you- I don’t know how to bring it up!” Schlatt hissed.</p><p> </p><p>“Well it’s your thing. You need to tell them,” Noah raised a brow. Schlatt grumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. Someone in my stream asked what we all think about, like, the lgbtq community. Well, they specifically asked about transgender people. I told them I’d ask.” Noah hummed. That was a good segue.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm. Well, I know I support them,” Cooper said. He glanced around the room and everyone nodded in agreement. “What do you think about it, Schlatt? I know your persona pretends to be a bit homophobic, but you’re not. What are your thoughts on this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well of course I support it. If I didn’t, that’d be hypocritical.”</p><p> </p><p>“How?” Ted asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, like being gay and homophobic. Pick one.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a bad analogy. What you’re saying by that is that you can’t be trans and transphobic,” Ted grinned in confusion.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I can’t be. Transphobic, I mean. That’s like, like, being afraid of myself.”</p><p> </p><p>“You know, Schlatt, you are rather heavily implying that you are a trans person.” All eyes were on him. He stood firm, not backing down.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you have a problem if I were?” Schlatt asked, a guarded tone veiling his voice.</p><p> </p><p>“No, not at all, it’s just a bit weird that it would come up now.”</p><p> </p><p>“What, you think I’d ask a question like that out of the blue? I was probing, man. I didn’t know how you’d react!”</p><p> </p><p>“So you are. Trans,” Charlie said, clarifying. Schlatt nodded. Everyone was silent. They didn’t really know how to react. How do you react? You just find out that your friend of many years was something that you didn’t expect. None of them were opposed, of course, they would all support him, but they just had to process. But to Schlatt, the silence was almost suffocating. He fidgeted with his hands, glancing around. Finally, he clapped loudly.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Good talk. I gotta edit something.” Schlatt left the room before anyone could say otherwise. Everyone turned to Noah.</p><p> </p><p>“You knew,” Ted said. It wasn’t a question. Noah nodded. “So he is? That wasn’t a bit?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. No, I knew since that one stream where he started choking and you sent me to go check on him.”</p><p> </p><p>“How did you find out?” Travis asked.</p><p> </p><p>“He couldn’t breathe. He’d been improperly binding, like, with ace bandages, and he couldn’t breathe. He had to tell me. I wanted to go ahead and tell you guys, but he didn’t want to, so we didn’t. I told him that if it happened again, we’d have to tell you, since it was somewhat life-threatening. Well, it happened earlier today, so we told you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did it really? I didn’t even notice!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, he’s really good at hiding, isn’t he? Regardless, I think we should do something. He keeps on binding improperly, and to be honest, it’s really rather worrying that I don’t know how many times this has happened.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your worries are valid, I would have worried too, if I’d’ve known about it,” Ted said.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm… has he considered top surgery?” Charlie asked. Noah nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s been focusing on paying off college for now.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s reasonable.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>A few days later, Schlatt looked at his reflection. The T had been working, doing its job. He could already see a bit of stubble growing in. His persona was a ram, he remembered. How funny would it be if he grew mutton chops? Like old-fashioned, civil war-style mutton chops. He could totally pull it off. The thought made him smile.</p><p> </p><p>His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and grimaced at the caller ID. Taking a deep breath, he answered it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi… dad. How are you,” Schlatt asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Jo. I’m good, just calling to see how you were. Making sure all those <em> boys </em> you moved in with weren’t messing with you. I’d hate for anything to happen to my little girl,” his dad said. Schlatt sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Dad. We talked about this. It’s Johnathan now, or Schlatt. Not Joanna.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re still on about that? I thought you gave that whole phase up.”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t a phase, dad. It was a choice, that I made for myself, and I would like for you to honor that choice, please.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hun, we talked about this. You can’t keep pretending to be something you’re not. It’s… unnatural.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you want me to stop pretending to be ‘something I’m not’, then stop making me pretend to be someone I’m not.”</p><p> </p><p>“Joanna. You are not a boy. This foolish nonsense has gotta stop! What will your so-called friends think when you tell them, huh? You’ll be cast out. All-boy friend groups have no place for little girls.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well I already told them! They were fine with it!”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure? Maybe you should ask them again, once the shock wears off.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why can’t you just be happy for me? Why can’t you accept that maybe this is just something I want?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just looking out for you, Joanna!”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever. Doesn’t feel like it. Feels like judgement. I gotta go. Bye, dad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Bye, Jo. Remember, you’ll always be my little girl, no matter what.” Schlatt couldn’t hit the ‘end call’ button fast enough. He felt cold. Looking in the mirror again, whatever joy had been brought to him by the little thought about the sideburns was gone, snuffed out like a match in a hurricane. The winds blew around him, whistling past and screaming, shouting out that he’d always be a little girl.</p><p> </p><p>His vision went red, and when it returned to normal, his reflection was shattered. He’d punched the mirror. Oops. That was bound to have made a noise. How to explain that one to his friends. It fell? His arm grew a brain? Arm spasm? He had a seizure?</p><p> </p><p>There were footsteps outside, and a knock on his door. Cooper poked his head in.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Schlatt? What the fuck was that?” he asked, as if he were asking about the weather.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing, fuck off,” Schlatt replied eloquently. Cooper saw the mirror, widening his eyes, and decided that now was really not a good time. He closed the door and left Schlatt in peace. A few minutes later, Noah came in.</p><p> </p><p>“What happened? I heard something loud, and then- oh.” He saw the mirror, then locked eyes with Schlatt. “Are you okay? You look… pale.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine. I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, really. Come on, dude, you can tell me.” Noah closed the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. My dad just called me. Not a problem by itself, but… he doesn’t respect that I’m not ‘his little girl’ anymore, and every time he calls, it just makes me feel horrible. I was having a good day. I really was. Then he called. It started out fine, but he absolutely refuses to honor my decisions.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mm. I’m sorry to hear that. Did you punch your mirror?”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t mean to.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well hey. Me and the guys have something to show you that might cheer you up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh huh. C’mon, let’s go.” Noah led him out of the room, and into the living room. Everyone was waiting for them, and there was a box on the coffee table. </p><p> </p><p>“What is this? A fucking intervention? For what?” Schlatt chuckled. Ted pointed to the box.</p><p> </p><p>“Open it,” he instructed. Schlatt’s chuckle turned nervous.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a bomb, is it? Is it gonna blow up if I open it?” The smile dropped altogether.</p><p> </p><p>“Just open it, Schlatt,” Noah chucked and scoffed. Schlatt picked up the box and shook it. Hesitantly, he opened the box and immediately froze.</p><p> </p><p>“I, you… what?” A confused smile found its way onto Schlatt’s face at he stared at the contents of the box. He took the binder that was in the box out and looked at it. “Why? What’s the occasion?”</p><p> </p><p>“No occasion. You said you didn’t have one, and this, we think, beats ace bandages. Don’t wanna see you struggling anymore, man,” Noah clapped him on the back. Schlatt couldn’t stop smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. My god, you guys… I fucking hate you,” he breathed out a chuckle, covering his mouth with a hand. “Give me a minute.” He disappeared from the room. Five minutes later, he returned. “It fits perfectly. How the fuck?”</p><p> </p><p>“Remember when we ordered those shirts? Thankfully, Travis remembered what size you were.”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys are fucking awesome.”</p><p> </p><p>“But wait, there’s more,” Charlie grinned and held a finger up dramatically.</p><p> </p><p>“MORE? Oh my gooooood… what the hell?”</p><p> </p><p>“You told me that you were wanting to get chest surgery, but were putting it off to pay off college. Well, we were talking…” Noah started.</p><p> </p><p>“No…” Schlatt was in shock. He mentioned that once.</p><p> </p><p>“We have an appointment scheduled for you in a month and a half. This,” Noah said, pointing to the box that held the binder, “is a temporary solution. How do you feel?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fucking lightheaded, holy shit, I need to sit the fuck down…” Schlatt sat in a nearby chair, leaning forward and running a hand through his hair. He looked back up at them. “You guys did all this for me? Why?” He hated the way his voice broke.</p><p> </p><p>“Cause you’re one of us, Schlatt. We take care of our own,” Ted said, a big grin on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! One of us, one of us, one of us!” Cooper began chanting, walking forward to bring Schlatt in for a hug. The others quickly joined in, on both the chanting and the hug. Schlatt let out a broken laugh as a single man-tear of joy slipped down his cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“You guys are the fucking best. Holy shit.”</p><p> </p><p>“Could you say that again?” Ted asked, “I’d like to make it my ringtone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut the fuck up, you’re gonna ruin the moment.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i just miss the lunch club ;-;</p><p>so i write to miss them less</p><p>maybe leave a comment? (:</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>